“PHANTOM OF THE OPERA” HALLOWEEN TREAT 2015

Here we are, another Halloween is upon us. This year, my Halloween treat for all of you will be the “Phantom of the Opera.” It is a gift of music created by a man who wore a mask because he was ashamed of his looks. He thought his facial disfigurement would deprive him of affection of a beautiful woman with whom he was in love.

In the end, he proved that the power of music can overcome any physical handicaps. Phantom won the heart of young Christine using the alchemy of music. His love, coaching and musical mastery transformed a mere chorus girl into an operatic diva (click here for plot synopsis).

This Halloween inspiration came to me this past Sunday as I “doodled” on my new Clavinova keyboard. Suddenly, I was hearing the sounds of the “Phantom of the Opera.” I first heard it and recorded it in Dec 2008. And again in May 2010. Only this time, I was able to reproduce the theme melody using various orchestral voices. Which I eventually resulted in this, my third, recording of my “Phantom of the Opera” rendition.

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And now, here are also my two earlier recordings of the “Phantom of the Opera:”

The “Phantom” in black and white… 🙂

And two earlier versions of the “Phantom.” Finally, the Gemini-Yin-Yang Phantom…

Belly Dancer and Her Shaman Bodyguard at Halloween 2015 in Lahaina

If you live on Maui and like to party, then Lahaina is the place to be on Halloween. Elizabeth and I are not much of party goers, but once in awhile, we like to let our hair down and join one. And what a street party it was last night in Lahaina. And Elizabeth LOVES to dress up.

So here she is looking like a very sexy belly dancer on the lawn of the Rainbow Shower, just before we left for Lahaina.

It took us over an hour to drive from Haiku to Lahaina. The roads and streets were busy with traffic. Police were everywhere. They even set up a checkpoint just before entering Lahaina, guess to check for drunk drivers? One would think that if that’s whom they wanted to catch, they might have set one up for the people LEAVING the party. Oh well, no one ever accused the law enforcement people of common sense.

We were not stopped, though. So after paying $10 for what is normally free parking, we joined the throngs of costumed revelers of all ages who turned Front St into a big promenade, a long runway where amateur models showed off their Halloween fashions.

The procession of happy Halloweeners led to an actual stage in the town center under the Big Banyan tree. That’s where a competition for the best costume was taking place. We did not participate in the event, but Elizabeth did do a private belly dance for me at a very public place. Or shall I say – for the camera? 🙂

Anyway, we had fun. Afterward, we also had a scrumptious dinner at Ruth’s Chris’ steakhouse at the other end of Front St.

After two Halloweens in Arizona where we basically did nothing special, it was fun to come back to a place where we had had fun on a number of previous occasions, too (see below).